


hook, line, and sinker

by greedlings



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Kurosawa Ruby (mentioned) - Freeform, No idol AU, witch! Dia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-16 22:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13063773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greedlings/pseuds/greedlings
Summary: Dia's routine had always been constant, repeating, familiar.That is, until a certain someone shows up on her doorstep.





	hook, line, and sinker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hanayou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanayou/gifts).



> merry christmas/happy holidays!! this is for the love live secret santa that i participated in, and here's my gift for val!
> 
> i had soooo much fun writing this for you, i've a) never written these characters and b) never written anything witchy, and it turned out to be my longest work as well as one i've had a lot of fun writing!! i also never considered diayou but this is some Good Stuff i'll tell you that!!
> 
> anyways, i hope you have an amazing holiday season!! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it <3<3

Dia was used to her daily routine.

First, she would open the curtains. She never understood why witches were associated with darkness, especially since most worked with spellbooks for a living, but, Dia supposed, one bad apple ruins the bunch, so the few witches who used their abilities for trickery and deceit had ruined the reputation of all of the others.

Second, she’d tidy her house. There was never anything more than a few specks of dirt, but she always felt a little bit better after cleaning up whatever there was.

Third, Dia collected the miscellaneous ingredients growing around her house. There was a patch of evergreens nearby that grew some of the best Angel Moss known to man, and a small patch of Dusk Caps grew against her fence, and some other small, more common ingredients could be found within a one-mile radius from her house. She made sure to check on them every day- especially the mushrooms, which were extremely rare- and collect a small portion of them when they were ready.

Fourth, she made herself something to eat. Normally, she just toasted a slice of bread, and sometimes she served it with an egg, or, depending on if she had some on hand, some slices of cooked meat.

Then, she got to work. Dia found potion-making a fairly easy business; it wasn’t as exact as chemistry, but it didn’t require her to run errands for others or sit all day and wait for customers. She did, of course, have the occasional request, but even then, she wasn’t being forced to do anything.

By about midday, she had made and bottled a few batches of simple potions. She would then grab her satchel with what little money she had, pack her cart with her potions, and make her way into town for the afternoon market.

Dia never had a lot of customers, but she found solace in the fact that it was steady. She had a few people who would go out of their way to talk to her as well, which made Dia feel a little less alone. Her sister, who owned a bakery in town, also stopped by every day; she would bear gifts of bread and other baked treats, and Dia would pay it back with whatever Ruby needed.

Her routine made sense to her; it was constant, and she found that it helped her keep her mind off of other things. Still, Dia couldn’t help but feel like a piece of herself was missing every time someone would walk by her stand laughing at someone else's joke, or a couple would walk by hand-in-hand. Sometimes, on an especially slow day, she’d find herself humming gently to herself so as to distract herself from the emptiness in her heart.

She was lonely, and it tugged at her heart, but she was much stronger than her emotions. Or, at least, most of the time.

* * * * *

One day, Dia woke to a knock on the door.

This was the first unusual thing. Dia had never before had a knock on her door; if one of her patrons needed her, they usually waited until the market that night.

But here she was, answering her door first thing in the morning.

The girl on her doorstep seemed familiar, but Dia shrugged it off as a coincidence. The girl looked confused, as if she didn’t know how she got here- or, perhaps she was marveling at the birds-nest that was Dia’s hair.

“Hello.” Dia swung the door open a little more. Something about the girl made Dia want to welcome her in like an old friend, but she hesitated.

“Hi, I’m You,” the girl said, smiling; something about her smile made Dia’s heart skip a beat, “How are you?”

“I’m good, I suppose,” Dia replied. It was strange, Dia thought; she was sure that this was her first time meeting this girl- You, as she said- but Dia’s heart felt drawn to her like a fish to a baited hook.

You smiled even wider. “That’s good!”

The two girls stood awkwardly on Dia’s doorstep for a moment before she spoke up, “So, do you need me at all?”

“Oh, um…” You trailed off, “Yes, I suppose. I was hoping you could make me a potion?”

Dia opened the door wider and waved You inside. Her heart seemed to skip a beat as she said, “If you give me a moment to get dressed, I’ll see what I can do.”

* * * * *

Dia had never skipped breakfast before.

This was the second unusual thing. Really, Dia could have eaten, but she didn’t have enough food to feed her surprise guest, and it felt rude eating in front of her.

“What can I get for you?” Dia asked, sitting down. She could feel the warmth from the sun through the window, but she couldn’t enjoy it through her stomachs complaints.

You rubbed her arm. “I was hoping you could make me a memory potion. I seem to have forgotten…”

“Forgotten what?” It was common for people to ask for memory potions- most of the time, they wanted something small from their childhood or the look on someone's face; her most common request for memory potions, however, came from the widowed elderly wishing to remember their long-gone loved ones face.

Which is why Dia found the proposition intriguing. You couldn’t be much younger than her, and it wasn’t often that she had this request from people this young.

“Well,” You started, “I can’t tell you, but I promise you can help. From the research I’ve done, I only need a weak memory potion.”

Dia was slightly surprised- usually, her clients left it up to her to determine the strength of the potion- but she shook her head. “I could, but it takes over a week to brew the weakest memory potion.”

You’s shoulders dropped. “Oh, I see.”

“I’m very sorry. If you tell me where you live, I could-”

“I don’t live anywhere,” You interrupted, looking Dia straight in the eye. The statement prompted Dia finally look at You; the edge of her dress was dirty, but overall she looked as if she had just left a house in town. It seemed contradictory, but Dia found it incredible how confident You was with what she was saying- most people would have whispered a statement like that to the ground. And then there was You.

Dia was finding that You liked to shatter her expectations.

“I have a spare room.” Normally Dia wouldn’t offer a room in her house, but today seemed like a day for firsts.

* * * * *

Gathering ingredients was something that Dia usually did alone.

This was the third unusual thing. Dia was so used to her solitude that she found the sudden company, well, sudden.

It had been a few days since You took residence in Dia’s spare room. Dia was finding that her wallet was significantly lighter than usual, but she was also finding that she minded less and less as the week went on. Something about having You in the house was comforting, like Dia was being wrapped in a warm hug every time You entered the room.

“Where do you go every morning?” You asked after three days. She was standing in Dia’s kitchen, finishing off a piece of toast.

Dia looked over at her. “I have to collect some ingredients for my potions.”

“You look like a stereotypical witch.”

The comment was sudden, and Dia couldn’t help but feel attacked. “What do you mean?”

You’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t mean that to be mean, of course! It’s just…” She trailed off, then made a motion that resembled putting up the hood of a cloak, followed by her bending her back and pulling something out of an imaginary basket.

Dia looked at her reflection in the window. She supposed You was right; she had a dark cloak pulled over her face and hiding it in shadows, and the basket hanging from her arm didn’t help the appearance much.

“I suppose you’re right,” Dia said, tugging the hood off the top of her head.

“I’m sorry for saying anything. That was mean.”

Dia shook her head gently. “No, it’s okay. I suppose I just never realized that the hood made me seem so ominous.”

“I didn’t think it looked ominous, but I like that I can see your face now!” You said. Dia felt her heart do pirouettes in her chest. You walked towards the door. “Do you think I could come with you?”

Dia was surprised, but she nodded nonetheless. “I don’t see why not.”

You’s smile, Dia decided, could melt even the coldest ice.

You’s smile, Dia decided, had melted her heart.

You’s smile, Dia decided, had reeled her in, hook, line, and sinker.

* * * * *

On the seventh day of housing You, Dia found that she didn’t feel lonely anymore.

This was the fifth strange thing; for as long as Dia could remember, she had been lonely. After this past week, Dia wasn’t sure that she could live alone again.

The potion was almost done brewing, however, which meant You would be leaving soon.

“How’s the potion going?” You asked, placing a hand on Dia’s shoulder. Her heart fluttered, but Dia never stopped stirring.

“It’s almost done.”

“That’s good,” You said, and Dia felt her heart stop; was You really that excited to leave?

You must have felt Dia’s mood change, because she gasped, “I didn’t mean it like that! I just- you’ve been running out of potions to sell because of this one, right? If it gets done, then you can go back to the way things were before me!”

“I don’t know if I want to,” Dia replied without thinking. It took a moment for Dia to realize what she said, and she quickly placed her hand over her mouth.

You’s hand was no longer on Dia’s shoulder; Dia turned to find that both of You’s hands were over her mouth.

“I-I’m sorry,” Dia stuttered, almost whispering. You’s face was a deep shade of red, and her eyes were wide with surprise. Slowly, she lowered her hands and let them rest on her collarbone.

“There’s no need to apologize, Dia.” It was the first time You had referred to Dia by her name.

It was the first time that Dia had felt her heart stop.

“I don’t want to leave,” You said, letting her hands drop to her sides, “I just figured-” She stopped, then took a deep breath. “I just figured that I showed up suddenly on your doorstep asking for a place to stay, and you’d probably want me gone as soon as possible.”

Dia felt her back straighten slightly. “Are you- Did you lie to me?”

  
“No, of course not!” You shook her head aggressively. “I really do need the potion, but I couldn’t work up the courage to talk to you.”

“Why not?”

You sighed. “Something about you seems to draw me in- I still can’t tell you what, but it does. I always found my thoughts filled with your face, and my heart humming your song, and my feet seemed to lead me to your stand every day.”

Dia knew that she recognized You from somewhere; she could always count on You passing by her stand with a smile and a wave.

“Then, why didn’t you stop by?” Dia asked.

“I… I don’t know,” You replied, furrowing her brows and taking a small step back. “But I regretted it every day.”

Dia closed the distance between the two of them. She could feel the heat from You’s body as she spoke.

“I think you should have stopped by.” She grabbed You’s hands from her side and gently lifted them; it was the most intimate thing Dia had ever done, but she found that she wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest.

“Do you really think so?” You asked, slowly curling her fingers around Dia’s hand.

She pressed her lips against You’s. When they pulled apart, Dia was smiling. “I do.”

That night was the first night that she missed the market, but Dia found that it didn’t feel like something unusual.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are always appreciated <3<3


End file.
